MY TURN | Brian Erickson

Keep faith despite monument's removal

Published: Monday, September 1, 2003 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, August 31, 2003 at 11:00 p.m.

I’m writing to enlist the help of all those demonstrators who turned out in support of Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments display. I know that the removal of the monument might have seemed like a heartbreaking defeat, but I have found a loophole where we can make a public statement of our faith that is even more difficult to remove than 2 tons of engraved granite: Help pass the tax reform.

Now hear me out on this ó I know that there has been a lot of anti-Amendment One chatter coming from your end of the conversation, and there has been an unfortunate amount of Christian-on-Christian criticism from both sides of the fence. As a Christian pastor, I want to tell you how much I value your passion and love for God, even if it manifests itself in political views that do not resonate with my faith.

I also appreciate that you have repeatedly brought the issues of government accountability and financial waste to the forefront as matters of stewardship. Both sides of the debate feature well-crafted theological arguments, and both sides are filled with genuinely faithful people. The frustration for me is that we have failed to focus on that which unites us ó namely, the figure of Jesus. I must admit I enjoy living in a state where most people know who Jesus is, with the majority of those professing in some form or fashion that he is the answer to the question our hearts are asking.

Our state is a place where faith matters, where countless numbers of people on a daily basis are struggling to make sense of God in their daily lives. In my most hopeful moments, that kind of foundation seems like fertile ground for social and personal transformation.

I worry these days, however, that our faith has become less a source for dynamic change and more a theological dressing room, where the most destructive American values like greed and materialism can put on the vocabulary of Christianity and pass themselves off as family values.

At some point, we forgot that God is our friend and our judge, sometimes at the same time. Like a ransom letter, we have cut out and manipulated the words of the Bible to justify the way we live our lives. Somehow we have missed the teachings of Jesus, with most of the practical ones revolving around money and mercy for the poor. The idea that God wants us to have everything we have and all the stuff we still want is a great message if you’re on top of the economic food chain. It’s a very different message if you hear it while wading neck-deep in poverty. I will ask you to do one thing for me: Before you vote, re-read the red letters in your Bible, and ask yourself, based on these, how do I choose?

I don’t believe that this tax reform will fix everything, and like you, I approach any politician with a modicum of horror. But we must weigh our theological battles and come together over common ground.

Let’s have a moment of real community, where we believe for a moment that what divides us is much weaker than what draws us together.

This is our issue. This is our chance to speak as a people of faith. On Sept. 9, let’s give our state something a little more permanent, a little more difficult to ignore than a monument ó let’s give our state some hope.

If we can’t work together for real change for our suffering sisters and brothers, then I suppose we’ll have to build more and more monuments. We’ll need to have something around to remind us of the days when our faith meant something.

Brian Erickson is Chaplain of the College at Birmingham-Southern College.

<p>I'm writing to enlist the help of all those demonstrators who turned out in support of Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments display. I know that the removal of the monument might have seemed like a heartbreaking defeat, but I have found a loophole where we can make a public statement of our faith that is even more difficult to remove than 2 tons of engraved granite: Help pass the tax reform.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Now hear me out on this ó I know that there has been a lot of anti-Amendment One chatter coming from your end of the conversation, and there has been an unfortunate amount of Christian-on-Christian criticism from both sides of the fence. As a Christian pastor, I want to tell you how much I value your passion and love for God, even if it manifests itself in political views that do not resonate with my faith.</p><p>I also appreciate that you have repeatedly brought the issues of government accountability and financial waste to the forefront as matters of stewardship. Both sides of the debate feature well-crafted theological arguments, and both sides are filled with genuinely faithful people. The frustration for me is that we have failed to focus on that which unites us ó namely, the figure of Jesus. I must admit I enjoy living in a state where most people know who Jesus is, with the majority of those professing in some form or fashion that he is the answer to the question our hearts are asking.</p><p>Our state is a place where faith matters, where countless numbers of people on a daily basis are struggling to make sense of God in their daily lives. In my most hopeful moments, that kind of foundation seems like fertile ground for social and personal transformation.</p><p>I worry these days, however, that our faith has become less a source for dynamic change and more a theological dressing room, where the most destructive American values like greed and materialism can put on the vocabulary of Christianity and pass themselves off as family values.</p><p>At some point, we forgot that God is our friend and our judge, sometimes at the same time. Like a ransom letter, we have cut out and manipulated the words of the Bible to justify the way we live our lives. Somehow we have missed the teachings of Jesus, with most of the practical ones revolving around money and mercy for the poor. The idea that God wants us to have everything we have and all the stuff we still want is a great message if you're on top of the economic food chain. It's a very different message if you hear it while wading neck-deep in poverty. I will ask you to do one thing for me: Before you vote, re-read the red letters in your Bible, and ask yourself, based on these, how do I choose?</p><p>I don't believe that this tax reform will fix everything, and like you, I approach any politician with a modicum of horror. But we must weigh our theological battles and come together over common ground.</p><p>Let's have a moment of real community, where we believe for a moment that what divides us is much weaker than what draws us together.</p><p>This is our issue. This is our chance to speak as a people of faith. On Sept. 9, let's give our state something a little more permanent, a little more difficult to ignore than a monument ó let's give our state some hope.</p><p>If we can't work together for real change for our suffering sisters and brothers, then I suppose we'll have to build more and more monuments. We'll need to have something around to remind us of the days when our faith meant something.</p><p>Brian Erickson is Chaplain of the College at Birmingham-Southern College.</p>